College is typically the place where we discover ourselves and the kind of person we want to be. It’s a time of experimentation, soul searching and personal change. For most people, this experimentation might lead to an abrupt change in sexual orientation, or maybe just affirm which way they lean one way or another. But a new survey from YouGov shows that for good percentage of our generation, sexuality isn’t as defined or rigid.
The poll, which surveyed 1,000 Americans between the age of 18-29, found that a whopping 31 percent of respondents neither identified as purely heterosexual or homosexual. The survey asked them to rank their sexuality on the Kinsey Scale, which ranges from 0 (completely straight) to 6 (completely gay). 64 percent ranked themselves as totally straight, while only 2 percent ranked themselves totally homosexual.
As you can see, compared with all adults in the U.S., young adults tend to identify less as straight and more so on a spectrum. This might reflect the rapidly changing perception in our country of sexuality as a strict one-way policy. It is become more and more common for people to be open to various forms of love. And if you think this only applies to the US, check out the UK survey which found that some 50 percent of 18-24 year olds did not identity as fully straight.
Of course the Kinsey Scale, which was invented in the 1940s, isn’t a highly accurate or current model, this survey reflects a growing trend of sexual fluidity for people our age. For the first time in history it seems, youth isn’t tied down by traditional culture which dictates ideal love is between a man and woman. Just look at popular celebrities like Miley Cyrus and Kristen Stewart, who openly admit to not being 100 percent straight.
In the end, love is love no matter how it manifests, an idea which has led to groundbreaking LGBTQ legislation as of recent both in the U.S. and abroad. With such a wide variety of sexual orientation among us collegiettes, let’s hope we can be the generation to rid the world of homophobic thinking once and for all!